for the impact, everything from stalled trains and planes to tornadoes. and here is the map. an area from the florida panhandle to new york, under a severe weather warning. abc's steve osunami is outside atlanta tonight in adairsville, georgia, where one powerful tornado has already torn through town. >> reporter: an hour north of atlanta, an amazing picture. the sky was falling. >> we've got debris now flying to the left and center of this system. the sirens have been going off here. the wind is kicking up, along with the rain. again, a funnel crossing the interstate here in adairsville. >> reporter: witnesses here say the tornado was on the ground, churning through homes, office buildings and factories for more than 20 minutes. scientists think it was an ef-2 or greater, with wind speeds more than 125 miles an hour. >> please take safe shelter for us right now. get in that center portion of your home. a basement if you have it. >> reporter: in calhoun, georgia, homes were leveled.

at this factory in adairsville, workers scrambled for cover. neighbors had to rescue families trapped inside their crumbled homes. one man was killed. >> there was no warnings, no sirens, no nothing. >> reporter: we talked with the family of the man who died. they were at home looking for a lost pet. jessica cantrell told us she can't bear the loss. >> i wouldn't want nobody else to live through this. it's tragic. it's hard. because you never know if you're going to have somewhere else to live, if you're going to be able to get back on your feet. >> reporter: i'm sorry. the tornado left behind what looked like a junkyard, with twisted semitrailers, more than 100 cars flipped by the winds. travis richardson was in his 18-wheeler when the tornado lifted his truck off the ground and threw it off the road. >> i couldn't believe it picked my truck up and flipped it over like that. i mean, i can't believe it. >> reporter: the storm still stretches more than 900 long miles, and as it marched across the country, it brought high winds to texas.

in missouri, flash flooding. and then winds that knocked down 50 train cars. further north in green county, indiana, dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed. today's misery also reached tennessee, where families who survived the tornado are counting their blessings. >> it's just the worst sound i ever heard in my life. >> reporter: and the storm isn't done yet. in pennsylvania, blistering winds flipped this helicopter. tonight, tornado watches are up in maryland, virginia and the nation's capital, where they are expecting high winds and heavy thunderstorms. and in new york, wind gusts would reach up to 60 miles an hour. diane? >> thank you so much, steve. we'll be watching it through this stormy night. and now, we turn to another developing story tonight. word of a bold strike by america's biggest ally in the middle east, israel. an air attack across the syrian border. everyone waiting for what happens next. abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz, tracking it for us tonight. martha? >> reporter: diane, this is a

very significant move and was clearly a red line for israel. this is what we know. officials say truckloads of dangerous weapons were being loaded from a facility in syria and then were headed for lebanon. officials say inside those trucks were fa-17s. those are very capable, mobile radar-guided surface to air missiles. israeli war planes were launched to destroy the trucks and stop them from entering lebanon before the militant group hezbollah could get their hands on them. the building where the trucks were loading or departing was also hit. hezbollah is a sworn enemy of israel. if hezbollah had gotten those missiles, it would have significantly increased their capability in any future conflict with israel. so, this was not israel getting involved in the conflict in syria, per se, it was very much israel making a preemptive strike to protect itself. but this will increase tension in the region, diane. >> all right, martha.

another story to be watching through this night. thanks so much. and now, a dramatic day in washington. a kind of showdown over gun violence in america. it began with a surprise appearance by gabby giffords, who made a plea for a nation awash in guns to do something. abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl tells us what happened. >> reporter: you wouldn't know it by watching the way she arrived on capitol hill today, but it was just two years ago that a bullet shattered gabby giffords' skull. >> too many children are dying. too many children. >> reporter: they were the very first words giffords has spoken before congress since she was shot. she used them to implore her former colleagues to act against gun violence. >> it will be hard, but the time is now. you must act. be bold.

be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> reporter: and with that, giffords left, leaving her husband, mark kelly, to take on the national rifle association's wayne lapierre. kelly argued for better background checks for all gun sales. >> my wife would not be sitting in this seat, she would not have been sitting here today if we had stronger background checks. >> my problem with background checks is you're never going to get criminals to go through universal background checks. >> reporter: and kelly said if the man who shot his wife had been limited to an ammunition clip with just ten bullets, a little girl killed that day might still be alive today. >> the first bullet went into gabby's head. bullet number 13 went into a 9-year-old girl named christina taylor green. >> reporter: lapierre said that new gun laws would only punish those who don't break the law. >> law-abiding gun owners will not accept blame for the acts of

vie violent or deranged criminals. >> reporter: when it was over, kelly went over to shake lapierre's hand. the two had only agreed on one thing -- the need for stronger measures to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill. but as giffords and kelly told diane sawyer earlier this month, they are hoping for more common ground than just that. >> so, it is the common sense consensus you're going for. >> we are. and i think most gun owners are in the same camp with us. >> when it can happen to children in a classroom, it's time to say -- >> enough. >> reporter: after the hearing was over, gabby giffords and mark kelly met with the president here at the white house. he is counting on them to help build public support for his gun control plans and he is going to need it, diane. right now, even the president's allies on capitol hill say it will be extremely difficult for him to get any of it passed. >> okay, jon, and as you well know, there are two facts driving those hearings today. 30 americans die from gun

violence in this country every single day. and nearly 23,000 have died in the past two years alone. and one of those lost became a kind of presence in those hearings today. hadiya pendleton, an honor student and majorette, was in washington 11 days ago, with her high school band for the inauguration. but yesterday, with her team in a chicago park, a gunman, possibly a gang member, shot her dead as she took shelter. she was just trying to get out of the rain. and there's another note out of washington tonight. look closely at this picture. that is william "mo" cowan of massachusetts. he will be heading to washington, d.c. soon and straight into the history books. he will take over the senate seat of the new secretary of state, john kerry. and that means, for the first time in america's 236-year history, we will have two african-american senators serving at one time in the senate. the other is tim scott of south carolina.

and from an historic day to a day just short of making history on wall street. the dow has been flirting with a return to the 14,000 mark, on a rocket ride of economic energy. but today, a new report on growth created a speed bump. we wanted to know how serious is it? abc's david muir, here to tell us what he found out today. david? >> reporter: i've been fascinated, diane, with the race to the 14,000 mark on the dow. it's been something to watch. welcome news for so many boomers. finally seeing their 401(k)s come back. but tonight, the first real bump in some time. in fact, take a look at this. the market closing down. we came so close to that all-time high there, october 2007, before the crash. 14,164 there. look where we are tonight. we fast forward to current day, we're so close, 13,910. and tonight, those jittery boomers want to know, can they believe in the recovery? the stock market on a rocket ride. the dow with the best start to the year since 1989. but with today's speed bump, what are baby boomers to think? is the recovery in their

investments, their 401(k)s, the real thing? what would you say to boomers who say, is the foundation really there? can they trust this? >> well, i mean, i think we have a real recovery. corporate profits are growing pretty nicely. they were actually up 8% last year. but i think the lesson we have to take is to approach this with some element of caution. >> reporter: that's advice boomers like bill and kathy walters will surely take, watching their 401(k)s tank, and finally now recover so much lost ground. they're used to giving their own advice to fellow boomers, recording messages while they travel. travel tips, after years of working and saving themselves. >> make sure that you wear your money on you inside. >> reporter: but to keep traveling, they need the recovery to continue. >> i retired in 2008 and my retirement went crash. and the recovery has been fantastic. so, it makes life a lot easier. a lot more fun. you can do a lot more things. >> reporter: "world news" reached out to a team of economists who said today's blip in the stock market run comes

after a slight slowdown in gdp, the country's economic output. diane swonk says, keep an eye on the interstate. if you see more trucks, she says it's not a leap that the economy is chugging along. trucking, in fact, is up in recent months. joel naroff said, with the holidays behind us, look at shoppers leaving the malls. are they empty handed or still carrying several bags? and paint prices. it's more than just a fresh coat. it the writing on the wall. more demand for paint and its key ingredients send the prices up. all things to watch for and tonight, the walters say they'll be looking, as they look for more places to travel to. >> we can think about those places we'd like to travel that are still on our bucket list. >> reporter: there are many places still on their bucket list. and you heard the economists there say, while we're not there yet, that the foundation of this recovery is real. watch for those trucks on the interstate, watch for the paint prices. when they start to go up, there's real demand. people are painting the walls. >> okay, the big picture tonight from david muir. thank you, david. and we want to bring you up to date on the eerie sight in china tonight.

you know they're battling polluted smog, so thick, you can barely make out those cars on the highway. more than 100,000 masks are being sold every day this month in the city of beijing alone. and have you heard this? a wealthy chinese businessman is selling fresh air in soft drink cans. about 80 cents per can. what you do is take the can and you, in essence, drink from it with your mouth or your nose by breathing it in deeply. the air has not been this dirty in china since 1954. and still ahead on "world news," he earns $230,000 every time he walks into a ballpark. tonight, is the king of baseball about to strike out for good?

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rodriguez, known as a-rod, to a ten-year contract worth $275 million -- the biggest in history. >> the numbers were just mind-boggling. people thought, his career is set, this guy is going to walk into cooperstown some day as the greatest of all time. >> reporter: the yankees paid a-rod $30 million last year alone. that's more than $238,000 per game. $234,000 per hit. and each home run? a whopping $1.6 million. his prowess on the field often overshadowed by his prowess off. those blue eyes charming the likes of cameron diaz, kate hudson, even madonna, as red sox fans gleefully mocked. but now, it could all be falling apart. rodriguez is facing new accusations of using performance enhancing drugs. major league baseball is investigating and sources tell espn the yankees want a-rod out.

rodriguez has long been accused of steroids. you can see how he bulked up over the years. he finally came clean back in 2009. >> i did take a banned substance. and, you know, for that, i'm very sorry and deeply regretful. >> reporter: but a-rod insisted he stopped doping back in 2004 and that he's always been clean as a yankee. his spokesman repeating that claim as these new charges swirl. but he's got another $114 million left on that mega contract, which is why the yankees may be looking for ways out of this troubled marriage. bob woodruff, abc news, new york. and coming up next here, the other showdown tonight. adele or barbra? who will steal the show at the oscars? our "instant index," coming up.

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ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you. and we have a surprise at the top of our "instant index" tonight. a new head-turning college freshman. well, look here. you see him there in the middle. that, of course, is watson, the super computer who trounced humans on "jeopardy." he has enrolled at rensselaer poyltechnic institute in upstate new york to be modernized in english and math and be programmed to understand images and videos on the web. by the way, we're told, for now, watson will be living off campus. and look who is back. remember this moment?

>> hello gorgeous. >> reporter: that was barbra streisand, winning the oscar for "funny girl" in 1969. and today, an announcement. for the first time in 36 years, streisand will perform again at the oscars. and as you know, she'll be the second big voice on the stage this year. recognize the other one? ♪ let the sky fall ♪ when it crumbles adele and streisand on one stage. 25 days until the oscars. stay tuned. and we have a big announcement tonight from a familiar face in our past. it's gomer pyle. >> shazam! >> that's "the andy griffith show" and, of course, it's actor jim nabors. well, today, the 82-year-old announced he has married his long-time partner, stan cadwallader. they've been together for 38 years.

nabors said he's never been ashamed of being gay, but liked his privacy and says he wants everyone to know he feels blessed and happy to have had a love that lasted so long. and we send our congratulations. and coming up, a new report. it shows fluffy, your pet cat, may have a shocking secret life. we'll tell you about something making news tonight. ] hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started; i can help you with the paperwork. um...this green line just appeared on my floor. yeah, that's fidelity helping you reach your financial goals. could you hold on a second? it's your money. roll over your old 401(k) into a fidelity ira and take control of your personal economy. this is going to be helpful. call or come in today. fidelity investments. turn here. an intense burning sensation i woke up with this horrible rash on my right side.

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abc's dan harris tells us our furry friends may have a double life. >> reporter: in the age of youtube, they play patty-cake, get stuck in sleeves, and even, in this viral video i made with the aspca, fly. but do not be fooled by all this alleged innocence. reality might be closer to this. >> behind the adorable exterior, lurks lethal intent. the serial killer purring in your lap. you will never look at fluffy the same. >> reporter: ben johnson voices trailers for movies. we wrote that for him. but turns out, it's all true. we all know cats eat birds, but what stunned the scientists behind this week's new study is that when you do some thorough sleuthing on cats, it turns out they are four times more vicious than previously imagined. every year, they kill 12.3 billion mammals like chipmunks and 2.4 billion birds. a feeding frenzy that is even endangering some rare birds.

why? because the number of stray cats has exploded. and because, it turns out, felines are much deadlier than we knew. >> he's the cutest serial killer you will ever meet. >> reporter: amy watts thought she knew her cat, booker t., but when scientists put a little camera on the kitty, it captured carnage. the new numbers took me by surprise, too. i never thought my wife and i were harbors three cold-blooded killers in our own home. today, i went back to the aspca, where we adopted the cats. on a scale of 1 to 10, how worried should i be that one of my cats is going to kill me in my sleep? >> not likely. >> reporter: but it is a real problem. a human problem. experts say we are the reason the cat population has exploded and we all have to do a better job of keeping them inside. >> dan, you will never look at your cats, steve, gus and ruby, the same. >> reporter: maybe not. thanks, ben. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> and the saying goes, every

cat owner knows nobody owns a cat. and thank you so much for watching. we're always working for you at abcnews.com. "nightline" later at its new time, 12:35 a.m. eastern. and i'll see you again tomorrow night. new details on the story abc 7 news broke last night. the search for kevin collins. >> a record setting),5ko penalty for the richmond refinery fire, what happened before, during and after that fire? >> both of them are themselves. and... >> we're going hear from jack and jackie harbaugh on the match up of their sons as they take the spotlight at the super dome. >> also from new orleans tonight, wayne5axf÷ freedman uss voodoo to predict the super bowl winner.

>> last night, abc 7 news broke the story. new search for evidence in the disappearance 29 years ago, of kevin collin who's still hasn't been found. >> they found bones believed to be from an animal. investigators continue to persue new leads in this case. >> let's turb to abc 7 news vic lee with more information you'll see only on abc 7 news. vic? >> bones mentioned may be from an animal, but they're not sure. that is why they're sending it for analysis to see what just what they are. the inspector says regardless that have outcome, he believes they're on the right trail. >> you can see the strongest suspect you have? >> yes. boy say he is. >> the inspect jor talking about a perfect of interest who lived in the house the man

has since died. toomi saying the case is still under investigation. he also refused to comment on information abc 7 news learned from an independent source that homicide investigators the went to canada to interview the former roommate who interview the person he believes may have been with kevin collins. we're told investigators traveled to british columbia where chow retired. he told us he knew nothing about the possibilityraéb of an abduction nor did his former partner ever exhibit interest in ped feela. we're told police are now trying to find the car that the two once owned. yesterday, police and the fbi